1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet separation mechanism for use with a system which can record or photograph an image onto a sheet film, for example.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, a sheet separating mechanism of this type has been widely used for an image recording system such as a printer or photographing apparatus, and various mechanisms have been well known. FIG. 25 shows one example of a conventional sheet separating mechanism, wherein a sucker S is disposed above sheet films F stacked in a case C within a magazine M, and is moved backward in a direction of arrow A in parallel after lifting up one sheet by suction. As a result, a back end of lifted sheet film comes into contact with the case C and is bent, as shown, in FIG. 25, whereby the upper-most sheet lifted by the sucker S is separated and held, and further conveyed to the next step by moving the sucker S consecutively.
However, in such a conventional method, undue force is applied on the sucker during separating operation of a sheet film, so that there is a problem that the sheet film may be dropped since the film sheet is not held by suction any longer, or some traces caused by pressure may remain on the sheet film. Also, there is a problem that a second sheet film lifted up by closely adhering to the upper-most sheet film can not be returned to original position within the case, and when a next sheet film is attempted to supply, it can not be sucked correctly because there is no sheet film in a predetermined position.